Together no more
by TornChick
Summary: It has now been 16 years since their master died and they have no longer contact with each other. The sewers are polluted and everyone has left to live their own lives.
1. Another lost

Leonardo sat on the floor holding a katana each in his hands. It had now been 16 years since their master and father had died. He and his brothers were growing old and he didn't know if Raphael or Donatello were still alive. They'd left right after the death of Splinter and he hadn't heard from them. Michelangelo still lived with him in the sewers, but both of them had realized they couldn't stay there forever. They had too lost contact with April and Casey. They now had their own lives and April had moved from New York about 10 years ago. He couldn't deny he missed his brothers and wondered if they were okay. Raph had probably got himself killed or worse...Leo thought of Donatello, he was sure he'd done something good with his life, since he was smart and very successful in everything he did.  
  
The sewers were now flooded with polluted water and the humans didn't seem to care about their hometown anymore. Leo let out a sigh. He wished he got to see his brothers one more time, before it was too late...  
  
-Three days later-  
  
Leo was out in the dojo practicing as Mikey pulled the door open and sneaked into the room. He walked slowly to his brother as Leo turned around.  
  
"I didn't hear you coming", Leo said, then looking deep into the other's eyes. "Is something wrong Mikey?" His little brother gave a heavy sigh and then walked around him.  
  
"Uhm...Leo...I've been thinking...We can't stay here forever you know, and..." he looked up at Leonardo. He could still recognize the serious expression in his face, even if he was no longer the young turtle he'd once known. "I have to leave...I have to do something...we can't stay here forever...It has been 16 years now" he looked down at the floor with a troubled and sad face. Leo turned his back to him and walked away to pick up his katanas from the floor.  
  
"Fine..." he said in a calm voice. "Just leave too, just like the others did", at the last sentence, his voice was a bit more irritated and he sounded hurt. Mikey knew his brother had tried to keep their family together since Splinter died. He'd really tried. Not even their friends were left. Raphael had as usual gone out wandering around the rooftops to deal with his frustrations and anger...He had done it for about three days after the death of their father. The next night, he didn't come home. Donatello had wanted to leave to, to find a better place to live, he didn't want to lose contact with his beloved brothers but so it happened. Michelangelo had stayed with Leo in their home in the sewers for all those years. Leo had been taking his anger and sorrow out in practicing, trying to forget for one, just one moment that he didn't have a family anymore. Mikey hadn't known what to do either. He missed their brothers most of the two and was the one to take the lost hardest. He missed April and Casey. But Leonardo had taken care of him.  
  
"Leo....I've thought about this a long time now. The others left because, we don't have anything here, everything is gone...You should leave too. You can't stay here forever...I was thinking of looking for the others....... maybe we could see them one more time." he didn't expect his brother to answer but went back to the door. Leonardo turned around as he heard his brother leaving.  
  
"Mikey!....wait.." he walked over to Mike who didn't dare to look up at him. "Take care...And maybe I'll see you and the others sometime...I hope." he put a hand on his little brother's shoulder. He didn't want his only brother left to leave too, but that was his decision, no one else's. That was everything Mikey could take. The sorrow and loneliness he had held inside of him had to come out as he threw himself into Leo's arms. Leo hugged him back and couldn't help but smile, but it soon faded away as Mike let go of him tears in his big eyes.  
  
"Goodbye Mikey...I hope you will come back to see me sometime.." he gave a weak smile and Mike looked up at him as he opened his shaking mouth.  
  
"Goodbye Leo.." he sobbed turning his back away and left the room. Suddenly Leo felt so lonely. There was nothing left for him in their old home. Only bad memories. He couldn't stay here any more.  
  
"It's a strange life we have lived together...and I will never forget about it..." he shut his eyes as tears poured down his face.  
  
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What do you think? sad? well. If you review, a new chapter should be up soon. Will the turtles meet one last time before they fades away and will they ever see their beloved friends again? 


	2. Things have changed

-18 September-  
  
The rain poured down from the sky this night and Leo felt more lonely than ever. His only brother he knew was still alive, had left him to find a better life in a safer place. What was he thinking? He couldn't spend the rest of his life in the sewers, everything was destroyed. He made a decision, he would take his things and leave. He was going to find the others whatever it would take. As he waded around in the dirty water reaching up to his knees he made his way to Donatello's old computer and sat down in a worn chair. He was afraid it wouldn't work because of all the water around but to his surprise it started when he pressed the power button. He typed the password in.  
  
"Now let's see...." he thought of finding April's new address. She had given it to the four of them before she left and Leo was sure Donnie saved it in the computer. He searched through every possible file but couldn't find anything. Maybe, he didn't want to look through his brother's personal things but opened the file anyway. "C'mon... There!" his heart jumped as he looked over the list of Addresses. He was surprised when he noticed a mail address too. He could write to April right now. It seemed that Donnie had been having contact with April a time after she left town. Leo wished he had told him and the others, but there was no time thinking about it now. He opened a new mail and spoke to himself as he wrote down a few sentences.  
  
"Hi April.. It's been a long time now. My brothers and I are no longer living together in the sewers, as you know, but Mikey has left too now, and I'm the only one left so I was thinking of seeing them. If they're still alive.." Leo cleared his throat. "Please answer this mail as soon as possible---  
  
Leonardo"  
  
He hoped she would write back soon. Wherever he would go when he left their home, he only needed to get to a computer anywhere. Maybe that café down the street. It was wet and cold in the room as he made his way back to his old room. The water splashed against the walls and there was not much of their old home that could be of use anymore. As he went into the room he realized there weren't many things to take with him. He picked up an old photograph of his family. His heart started to beat faster as he felt the sorrow drown him.  
  
He was standing in the middle with Raph and Donnie along his sides and then Mikey next to their beloved father. The old rat didn't seem to look any different than 16 years ago. He smiled as he looked at Mikey who smiled like he had never been so happy in his whole life. It was probably true. 'But things will never be the same', Leo thought to himself as he picked a soaked bag up from the floor and put the photo in it. There weren't much more of his belongings, so he went to put his coat and hat on. A look of pain mixed with hope in his eyes.

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It was cold outside and most people were probably home by now, spending time with their families. As he strutted along a sidewalk in the dark that surrounded the district Mikey looked up to the few windows were light still came from. It was late at night and cold too.  
  
From an open window he could hear little kids playing or smell the odour of someone cooking. It made him hungry as his stomach rumbled loudly. He missed the sounds of someone he knew, he even missed sulky Raphael. He remembered they didn't always get along, especially Raph and Leo, but he loved his brothers more than anything else. Mikey pulled his coat closer around himself. He hadn't been thinking of where to spend the night. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been eating something or the feeling of not being alone. What was he gonna do? He had no one to stay with, he had no one to trust...and he had no one to care for him anymore. When he thought of the last day when he spoke to Leo, he remembered the cold look in his eyes, like he didn't care anymore. He didn't recognize him anymore. But they had all changed, he knew that, if they were still alive. A cold breeze made him shiver as he walked into a dark alleyway. A couple of cats ran out from behind some barrels and out to the streets as he made his way to a wall. He sunk down with his back to it and shivered as he tried to pull the coat closer to himself.  
  
"I'll probably catch a cold too", he said out loud. No one would hear him, no one would help a freak like himself. Those cold hearted humans out there. He buried his face in his knees and sobbed quietly. He would freeze to death out here, he wished he had never left the sewers and Leonardo. Now he realized what his brothers really meant to him. He felt warm tears pour down his cheeks as he held his arms around his legs.  
  
"I w..will...a..always...love you guys..." the young turtle sobbed. He wished he could turn back time, but there was no way...Leo wouldn't come for him and his two other brothers had abandoned him, so did their friends. He'd never felt so lonely in his whole life. He wished he could just die in his sleep, not having to feel the pain or sorrow anymore. He closed his eyes.  
  
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Sorry for the short chapter, the next one will probably be a little longer. I hope you still like the story and please R&R and a new chapter will be up soon. Thanks for your reviews. 


	3. Decisions

I like to thank you all for your reviews, unfortunately I won't be able to write anything in about three weeks, but I will when I come back.  
  
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-19 September-  
  
The weak light from the lamp on the bar was the only thing he could see from inside his shut eyes. Neither did he want to open them because of the pain running through his head, caused by a bad hangover. He felt the smell of alcohol as he breathed out. He rested his head in his arms on the bar as a familiar voice made its way to his absent mind. He stirred a bit.  
  
"C'mon Raph, you've been spending all night in here, isn't it time to go home?" the bartender was a young man, very friendly and always trying not to give his friend too much to drink, but with no success. Raph had come here often, almost everyday. He used to talk to the bartender since there was no one else who really cared to talk to a stranger like himself. It had almost became his home, he spent most of his time in an old abandoned factory down the street. Even if he was a stubborn lone wolf he really started to miss the sounds of people talking, or even the sounds of police cars and people screaming in the middle of the night. But now, whenever he was alone in his new "home" he felt something, he didn't know what, but it didn't feel good at all. He'd been thinking about his brothers a lot since he left the sewers 16 years ago, but the memories and everything started to fade away as everyday passed by. He opened his eyes and looked around him. A few people sat at the tables in the room, drinking and talking. Everyone seemed so happy, they all had someone who cared for them. He went his head back to the bar as the young man put some glasses back in the cupboards. Raph gave a grunt.  
  
"For how long have I been here, Ark?" he asked the man who turned around with his usual calm look on his face. Raph could feel his head aching even more for every word he spoke.  
  
"Since yesterday...You were really drunk, I haven't seen you like this before, is everything okay?" he looked worried as he tried to look Raph in the eyes, but they were hidden behind a worn brown hat. He didn't answer Ark but gave one more grunt, before trying to sit up comfortably.  
  
"Is things ever okay?" he muttered as he looked over to an overturned glass next to his right arm. Ark went back to clean the cupboard as the turtle picked the glass up. He examined it for a while, not knowing why. He actually didn't know the reason to anything he did anymore. He peered into the dirty glass then slamming it onto the bar. Ark jumped and turned around.  
  
"Hey, be careful with that, I've already lost a couple of glasses because of you", Raph felt the anger grow inside of him, but he forced it back.  
  
Ark had been the only one who cared for him, the only one he'd talked to in all these years. He sighed and held his aching head as he closed his eyes. He then grabbed the glass and shoved it over to the edge of the bar.  
  
"I want another drink, the usual..." he slurred as he tried to focus his eyes on the man. Ark took the glass and put it away.  
  
"You've had enough Raph, You shouldn't waste your time here", he sounded like he almost felt a little sad for his friend. "Don't you have any family to go to?" Raph swallowed. It hurt to every time he was reminded of his so called family. He hadn't been talking to Ark about it, why should he? There was none of his business. Some nights, but mostly the first weeks after he'd left the sewers he'd had to cry himself to sleep, he had feelings, he was sensitive too, even if no one thought he would. But later on he had been having nightmares about Splinter's death and everything that was connected to old bad memories. He looked around the room once more before jumping down from the barstool. Ark was surprised when Raph didn't argue with him about whether he should have another drink or not.  
  
"You know....You're right. Maybe I should stop drinking, start a new life....and well, work things out." he walked over the cracking floor. The young man smiled.  
  
"I hope you do, mate", he watched the turtle pull the door open and disappear around a corner.  
  
"Maybe I should", Raph told him self as he walked down the sidewalk in the burning light of the sun. His head hurt more than he thought it would. Bad hangover. "Oh no, not again!" he ran over to a nearby dustbin and leaned over it as he threw up.  
  
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The sun shined in through an open window and let a smell of flowers into the apartment room. This day had turned out a lot better than yesterday. It had been raining and the weather report had warned about using electrical things that day. But now it was warm and nice outside, almost too warm. The room didn't contain much. A couple of pictures on the walls, a chair, a bed, a small table with some unidentified things on top of it, looking like some kind of inventions and a computer was in a corner of the room. Suddenly the only door was pulled open and a turtle walked over the floor with a smile on his green face. His purple bandanna swinging around in the air as he approached to the open window.  
  
He sat down in the chair in front of the computer and began typing on the keyboard. He was tired of being up all night, working on his new project. He didn't really have a real job, but it was always something and he earned a lot of money. Some young guys had started a new corporation trying to sell devices of all kinds. Since that was what Donatello always was working on, he didn't say no to some cash. He hummed to himself as he opened his mail. He did it everyday, just in hope someone had sent him anything, if only a happy Valentines Day card. He hadn't get any mails in months, only from people who he worked for. He rested his head in his left hand as he noticed a mail. His eyes went wide as he saw who had sent it.  
  
"April!" he stammered trying to understand what was happening. "But she haven't been writing in many years." He opened the mail as his heart pounded inside of his chest. The mail said:  
  
"Dear Donatello. I'm sorry you haven't heard of me in a very long time. I've been quite busy lately. Anyway, I received a mail from Leonardo yesterday. Michelangelo left the sewers two days ago and Leo is now trying to find a new place to live, he asked me to contact you, since I have your mail address and he wanted to know if you were okay....He wants to meet you. You'll be hearing of me later if Leo will be in touch.  
  
Your friend April."  
  
Donnie didn't know what to do or what to think. He didn't know if he should laugh or cry. His brother was alive....He'd never expect something like that. Maybe he knew somewhere deep inside of him that Leo was sensible and wouldn't waste his life away. Donnie leaned back into the chair and sighed. April had to be quite old by now, or not old, but, at least forty. How could he be that stupid? What if his two other brothers were dead, because of him. Why did he leave them. He had failed them all. First master Splinter, then their friends and...then his brothers, the ones who meant the most to him.  
  
"It's all my fault", he said in a low voice. He felt terrible, if he didn't get to know if his brothers were okay, he would never forgive himself.  
  
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Well, this is a longer chapter than the last one, as I promised, hehe. Anyway, like I said before, I'll be away for three weeks, (damn vacations) but I'll hurry to do some more chapters when back again. Don't be mad at me, until then, tell me what you think about this chapter. 


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